Electric medicinal vaporizer



Aug. 19, 1958 TAUBEN 2,847,734

ELECTRIC MEDICINAL VAPORIZER Filed Oct. 20, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Daniel Tauben INVENTOR.

BY ww'wm 1958 D. TAUBEN ELECTRIC MEDICINAL VAPORIZER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 20, 1955 Daniel Tauben INVENTOR. m6.

BY WW 8% United States Patent Office 2,847,734 Patented Aug. 19, 1958 ELECTRIC MEDICINAL VAPORIZER Daniel Tanben, Carlstadt, N. J.

Application October 20, 1955, Serial No. 541,587 4 Claims. c1. 21-419 This invention generally relates to a vaporizer, and more specifically provides a medicinal vaporizer employing electrical means for generating steam for passing over suitable medicament whereby vapor may be discharged with the medicament entrained therein for dis charge into the surrounding air.

In providing medicinal Vaporizers, certain developments have been made for generating steam in a container in which the steam is passed over a supply of medicament and the vapor is discharged adjacent a person having a condition which will be aided by such vapor. Certain developments in this field include the use of heat applying devices for applying heat to the bottom of the container. Other developments include the use of the insertable heating elements wherein the prior developments all are generally unsuccessful due to their ineflicient operation or ineffective results. Accordingly, it is the primary object of the present invention to provide an electric medicinal vaporizer of an improved and novel construction employing an enlarged container having an insertable vaporizer unit including a pair of spaced electrodes or conductors connected to a suitable source of electricity whereby water disposed between the electrodes acts as a conductor for completing the circuit and the resistance to the flow of electricity will heat the waterbetween the conductors, thereby forming steam within a casing surrounding the conductors with this steam being discharged through an opening to the atmosphere and the discharge opening being disposed above an open medicament container so that the medica- Inent will be entrained with the discharged vapor.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a vaporizer in accordance with the preceding objects including a generally smooth contoured semispherical head exposed above the vaporizer container having a depending pocket for the medicament which projects into the hollow casing for heating of the complete pocket by the steam generated by the device together with eccentrically mounted electrodes whereby the symmetry and appearance of the device will not be deteriorated, and yet, the device is compact in construction.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a vaporizer as set forth in the preceding objects which includes a water inlet opening adjacent the lower end of the casing with the inlet opening being enclosed with a transverse recessed portion forming an edge for breaking off the water when the water supply reaches a predetermined level, thereby preventing the hanging on of the water between the conductors caused by surface tension whereby the operation of the device will be very ineffective and deleterious during this hanging on of the water.

Other objects of the present invention will reside in its simplicity of construction, ease of operation, efiiciency, effectiveness, adaptation for its particular purposes, and its relatively inexpensive manufacturing and maintenance costs.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the vaporizer of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 2-2 of Figure 1 illustrating the details of construction thereof;

Figure 3 is a detail plan sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 33 of Figure 2 illustrating the details of the spaced conductors or electrodes and the spacer therebetween;

Figure 4 is a detail perspective view of the medicament container;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the vaporizing unit with the lower end broken away showing the lower end of the conductors; and

Figure 6 is a bottom perspective view of the lower end of the vaporizing unit illustrating the relationship of the inlet opening and transverse recess in the bottom surface.

Referring now specifically to the drawings, the numeral 10 generally designates the vaporizer of the present invention including a container or receptacle generally designated by the numeral 12 and a vaporizing unit generally designated by the numeral 14.

The receptacle 12 includes a generally enlarged glass container 16 having a bottom 18 joined to the cylindrical wall thereof by an inclined bottom wall portion 20. The upper end of the container 16 is open, as designated by the numeral 22, and the opening 22 is provided with a projecting lip 24 at the upper end thereof and an inclined wall 26 integrally formed with the cylindrical wall thereof. The wall 26 terminates in a wall portion 28 having a plurality of flat sided areas, thereby forming a container which is generally fiat and enlarged and of circular cross-sectional area.

A pan or base 30 provided with a projecting upper lip 32 at the upper end thereof is provided which generally conforms to the contour of the bottom portion of the container 16 for receiving and supporting the same.

A cover or lid 34 is provided for the container 16 and includes a downwardly curved outer flange 36 for positioning over the lip 24 of the container 16, and the cover 34 is provided with a centrally disposed opening 38 having a recessed edge portion 40 for supporting and positioning the vaporizing unit 14 which includes a generally hollow casing designated by the numeral 42 which includes a depending cylindrical portion 44 and a generally semispherical hollow headed portion 46 which is provided with a projecting peripheral flange 48 for seating engagement in the recessed edge portion 40 of the opening 38 of the cover 34, thereby supporting and positioning the vaporizing unit 14.

The depending portion 44 of the casing 42 is provided with a lower closed end or bottom 50 having an inlet opening 52 for water disposed in the container 16 inasmuch as the bottom 50 is disposed adjacent the bottom 18 of the container 16. The bottom 50 is provided with a transversely extending recessed or undercut portion 54 in the lower surface thereof, wherein the undercut portion 54 extends from one edge of the bottom 50 to a point beyond the inlet opening 52, thereby forming a sharp edge surrounding the opening 52 to prevent the water from hanging onto the bottom 50 of the depending portion 44 of the casing 42 by the surface tension phenomenon.

The upper end ofthe depending portion 44 is provided with a peripherally extending flange 56 which is eccentric for disposing the depending portion 44 eccentrically of the semispherical portion 46 for centrally receiving a pair of conductors or electrodes 58 and 60 which are disposed in substantially spaced parallel relation by a spacer 62, as specifically illustrated in Figure 3. The lower ends of the'electrodes SS and 60 areoutturned, as designated by the'numeral 64. The upper ends of the-electrodes Til-which may be provided with a suitable male plug 78 at the outer free end thereof. The closure plate 74 is removably attached by the use of screw threaded fastening members 50 wherein the nuts 72 may be removed and smooth contoured posts may be screw threaded onto the terminal posts 68 wherein a female type plug may be employed for supplying electrical energy to the conductors 5S and 6'9. A circular member 82 of porcelain material or the like may be provided in the bottom of the d portion 44- of the casing 42 for deflecting the inflow of water into the casing 42.

The semispherical portion 46 is provided with an inwardly extending pocket defined by a cylindrical wall having a removable cylindrical container 86 posi tioned therein with the wall 84 being spaced from the wall of the semispherical head 46 to permit the wall 84 to be completely surrounded by steam formed within the casing 42. An inclined wall 88 interconnecting the upper end of the cylindrical wall 84 with the semispherical portion 46 is provided with a steam discharge outlet opening 9" which is so arranged that the steam passing outwardly from the opening 90 will pass over the open end of the container 86 which is utilized to support medicament.

The flanges 56 of the depending portion 44 of the casing 42 is secured to the semispherical portion 46 by screw threaded fasteners 92 to permit assembly and re moval of the entire apparatus to permit replacement thereof. Suitable index means may be provided between the semispherical member 46 and the flange 56 for properly positioning the flange 56 in relation to the semispherical member 46.

In operation, water enters the inlet opening 52 since writer is normally placed in the container 16 to a predetermined level so that the device will operate for a predetermined period of time, such as for a twenty-four hour period. The water disposed between the conductors 53 and 60 will complete the circuit therebetween and will be heated by the flow of electricity therethrough, thereby generating steam Within the depending portion of the casing wherein the steam will surround and heat the cylindrical pocket 84 and the container 86 with the medicament therein, and the steam also discharges through the discharge opening 90, thereby entraining the medicament vapor for discharge into the atmosphere of a room or the like.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in tr e art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A vaporizer comprising a receptacle having an openin the upper end thereof, and a vaporizing unit disposed and removably supported in said opening, said vaporizing unit including a depending hollow casing having a headed upper end, said headed upper end being supported on the edge of said opening, a pair of spaced depending conductors mounted in said, casing and. supported from said upper end, the lower end of said casing having a water inlet opening to permit water to be disposed between the conductors for heating thereof, a vapor outlet opening in the upper end of a casing, and means for retaining a medicament adjacent the discharge path of the vapor whereby the vapor will entrain a portion of the medicament, said depending portion of the casing having a flat lower surface with a recess portion extending from one edge thereof beyond the inlet opening thereby forming an edge for assuring disengagement of the water from the lower end of the casing whereby the circuit between the conductors created by surface tension of the water will be broken when the water reaches a predetermined low level.

2. A vaporizer comprising a receptacle having an opening in the upper end thereof, and a vaporizing unit disposed in and removably supported in said opening, said vaporizing unit including a depending hollow casing having a headed upper end, said headed upper end being .supported on the edge of said opening, a pair of spaced depending conductors mounted in said casing and supported from said upper end, the lower end of said casing having a water inlet opening to permit water to be disposed between the conductors for heating thereof, a vapor outlet opening in the upper end of a casing, and means for retaining a medicament adjacent the discharge path of the vapor whereby the vapor will entrain a portion of the medicament, said headed upper end being generally hollow and semispherical in shape and provided with an inwardly extending pocket integrally formed therewith and forming the means for retaining medicament, a removable container within said pocket for receiving medicament, said pocket depending into the interior of the upper end of the casing whereby steam vapor generated in the casing will heat the container and medicament about the entire surface thereof, said headed upper end of the casing also including a socket therein, said socket having a pair of terminal posts therein electrically connected to said conductors, and a removable cover plate for said socket for protecting persons from accidental contact with the posts, said posts being adapted to be connected to an electrical conducting wire for supplying electrical energy to the depending conductors, said depending hollow casing being generally cylindrical in shape and detachably connected to the upper end of the casing, said depending conductors and easing being eccentrically disposed, and indexing means between the upper end and the depending portion of the casing for properly positioning the depending portion of the casing, said depending portion of the casing having a flat lower surface with a recess portion extending from one edge thereof beyond the inlet opening thereby forming an edge for assuring disengagement of the water from the lower end of the casing whereby the circuit between the conductors created by surface tension of the water will be broken when the water reaches a predetermined low level.

3. A vaporizing unit for Vaporizers comprising a generally hollow vertically disposed casing having an inlet opening in the lower end thereof for admitting water into the casing when the lower end of the casing is inserted into water, a hollow head on the upper end of the casing, a pair of conductors mounted on said head and extending downwardly into the casing in spaced parallel relation and terminating adajcent the lower end of the casing, means connecting the conductors to an electric circuit whereby the circuit will be completed through the water for vaporizing the water, a steam outlet in said head for discharging steam in a lateral direction, said head having a depressed medicament receiving pocket therein with the entire external surface being free of obstructions for permitting the steam to contact the external surface, said steam outlet being disposed immediately above the pocket whereby the steam will entrain medicament vapors caused by the steam heating 6 the pocket after the steam is discharged into the atmosbetween the conductors by surface tension from comphere thereby preventing entry of medicament into the pleting the circuit. interior of the casing and permitting the medicament to v be easily replaced. References Cited in the file of this patent 4. T e combination of claim 3 wherein the bottom 5 end of the casing is provided with a laterally extending UNITED STATES PATENTS recess extending from one edge and surrounding the in- ,981,765 Weiss Nov. 20, 1934 let opening for assuringthe complete breakage of the 2,347,825 Hanks May 2, 1944 electric circuit by disrupting the surface tension of the ,5 3,794 Hanks Dec. 12, 1950 water thereby preventing the small amount of water held 10 

